Mauricio Pochettino has given a boost to Chelsea fans over the fitness of one key player ahead of their return to action on Saturday.
The manager said in hispre-match press conference that a player who picked up a knock while on international duty is actually looking as if he will be absolutely fine for the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are looking forward to welcoming Burnley to West London, a side they have already beaten in the Premier League this season.
That day, Cole Palmer scored his first goal for the club, and likely no one could imagine just how good he would end up being this season for them.
Palmer injured on international duty
His form for his club saw him called up for the national team in the last break, however he didn’t play a minute and was only in the squad for one of the two games.
It was reported early in the break that he had picked up a bit of a problem, with Chelsea fans just worried about how long it would keep him out the squad for any club fixtures.
They will therefore be boosted today by the recent comments from the manager that state that the 21-year-old is fit enough to feature as things stand.
Pochettino confirms Palmer is back
He said: “I was talking with him, yes he’s a little bit disappointed because he cannot play with the national team. The first game he had a small problem, and I think he maybe could have played the second one but he didn’t.
“Now, he’s okay, training well. Still one session tomorrow, but I think the plan is if he follows tomorrow like he did today he will be available to play Saturday.”
Since joining the club for a fee of £45m last summer, he has easily been the best performing player for the Blues this season, and it doesn’t bare thinking about just how far down the table they would be without his presence.